The doors are open and the (motion-activated, energy-efficient) lights are on in the completed 700-foot addition to the Ionia County Airport terminal.

“It is much more welcoming, more open and alive,” said Benz Aviation Office Manager Margaret Wint. “Hopefully we’ll get more people flying in here.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant expansion includes a new lobby area, which is now the main entrance to the building, painted a warm gray with large windows and a skylight for increased ambient light. Two spacious handicapped-accessible restrooms and a vending machine area also have been added. When the weather warms, the outdoor observation deck with an accessible ramp will sport a gas grill and picnic tables, where people can sit and eat or dinner lunch while they watch the gliders take off and land, Wint said.

Opened in 1937, the Ionia County Airport is owned by Ionia County and operated by Benz Aviation. The small public airport is used for general aviation and also offers glider rides and instruction, a flight school, airplane maintenance and aerial advertising.